Note: Finally got this one finished. RL has kept me busy this past week. Hope you enjoy it. Many thanks to wenwalke.

Disclaimer: I do not own H50

Chapter One

Danny slowly blinked, once, twice, a third time. His eyes felt heavy and his brain felt like cotton wool, he blinked again in an attempt to clear the fog. He was lying on his back, in his kitchen, an ever growing pool of his blood surrounded him. A bowl of sliced fruit scattered across the floor, now stained red with his blood, and the faucet still running. He stared up at the ceiling fan, the blades merging into one continuous blur and their hum strangely comforting him. Seeing the remains of a dead spider in the globe of the light at the centre of the fan, he thought to himself that he really should clean the light fitting. There was a deep ache in his back, but that was nothing compared to the sharp pain that felt like it was ripping his chest open with every breath.

Desperate to reduce the pain Danny attempted a weak cough, but was only rewarded with a metallic taste in his mouth as speckles of blood fell onto his face.

The attack had taken him completely by surprise and left him incapacitated, instantly. The chill of his attacker's final words to him still rang in his ears. Danny allowed his eyes to close, the darkness calling him as his body grew increasingly heavy, and an instant coldness overcame him.

Then he heard it, the desperate call of his daughter. He couldn't distinguish what she was screaming, her word lost amongst the buzzing in his ears. But he forced his eyes to snap open. He recognised the call of her friend Marley, and knew they were coming from the direction of Grace's bedroom, where he had last seen the girls playing. A friendly play date had gone so wrong.

He tried to roll on to his side, so he could push himself up, to try to get to his beloved daughter. He had to make sure she was ok, had to protect her. He had no idea if his attacker was even still in the house, were they hurting the girls? Was his daughter's life in danger? He heard banging, and the shouting continued. But a searing pain ripped through him from his back to the front of his chest, and stole every bit of his breath. Flopping on to his back once more, he coughed again, attempting to shift the pain, but once again the taste of blood hit the back of his throat, and a metallic smell hung in the air.

Dragging in a breath and then releasing it, he heard the gurgle as more blood pooled in the back of his throat. He was unable to move, as his body was wracked with pain, and desperately trying to get air into his lungs he felt the world start to slip. His vision had now tunnelled, eyes open to mere slits. He could feel his heart pounding within his chest. Beating so fast it felt as if it was trying to make its own get away from the pain.

There was a sudden screech of tires as a vehicle tore into his drive. Danny knew the sound of the engine, would recognise it anywhere. He had heard it roar into life so many times as he helped Steve work on his dad's old Mercury Marquis. Super SEAL was here to save the day. He would make sure Grace, and her friend Marley, were safe; would take care of them, when Danny couldn't. Would track down his attacker and make them pay. Hearing the car door slam closed he allowed his eyes to close all the way, the darkness swallowing him whole. A last small breath left his lungs, and his body failed to take the next breath.

TBC